Love, among other things
by Pirate Queen of Justice
Summary: 'I want to be someone special to you...' Esther/Swaine. Chapter 2 is up. XD
1. But what is 'someone special' anyway?

**i. But what is 'someone special', really? **

Oliver went back to the other world on a clear, Friday night.

"_I'll be seeing you all later_!" He waved his hands cheerfully as he slowly disappeared.

He has not returned since.

Esther sighed sadly at the memory. She greatly misses Oliver's presence. He was her best friend and her most trusted confidante. With his earnest eyes and boyish smile, Oliver has his way of making you believe, believe that you are strong enough to do anything. If he was here…

If he was here, then maybe he could help her...

A set of loud knocks suddenly filled her ears.

She immediately stood up startled as the noise abruptly pulled her out of her reverie. Ah, Right on time as usual. She took her time walking over to the door and exhaled slowly before turning the knob.

"Yo. I was beginning to think no one was home. Is Rashaad in yet?"

Leaning casually by the doorway was a familiar, grinning face. Wearing his usual shabby clothes, Swaine held a bottle of liquor in one of his arms. With a sigh, Esther let him in. He gently set down the bottle on the floor and sat by the entrance to take off his shoes.

It's like a…habit. No, you can even call it a tradition. Once a week, for every week, for every month, for the past two years, Swaine has been dropping by her house at Al Mamoon to share a drink with her father.

Her father's friends told her once that her father greatly loved to drink. But ever since her mother died, he has stayed away from alcohol. Maybe it's punishment? Or regret? Or atonement? She was never sure but she knew that her father's pain ran deep. In fact, before Swaine, she has never seen him pick up even a glass of liquor.

On that note, she can't help but feel kind of grateful to Swaine.

Rashaad vehemently refused to drink with him at first. He simply stayed and chatted with Swaine as he drank the alcohol by himself. However, like a man on a mission, Swaine brought wines and liquors and continued to invite him to drink. Eventually, worn by his unfaltering requests and tempted by the exotic liqours, Rashaad conceded.

She wouldn't say it's because of the alcohol but her father has been looking exceptionally better since, like a load has been taken off his shoulders. It was then that she remembered her mother's words.

_Your father is very kind, Esther. That's one of the things I love about him. But too much kindness could only hurt oneself. Your father feels responsible for everyone. When things go wrong, he tends to blame himself for circumstances that he could not have possibly controlled. If I were to disappear one day, my only wish is that someone would there to pull him out of the rut that he frequently throws himself in._

First it was Oliver and now Swaine. She was sad that she was not strong enough to save her own father but she was immensely grateful that there were people who did. And those two people who did were two of the most important men in her life.

Esther giggled lightly. Thinking that she was laughing at him, Swaine stood up and looked at her.

"Eh? What's so funny?"

"Nothing, really. I just remembered something amusing," she said light-heartedly as she turned to her heel. She could hear his footsteps following her from behind. "Father's at the terrace, he's been waiting for you alllll afternoon. He closed-up the Babana stand earlier than usual too - "

Without any warning, Swaine suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She could feel his steady shoulder as he whispered, "Hard at work as usual, huh?"

He gently raised her wrists and ran his fingers over the small nicks and scratches that covered her arm. She could not see his expression but he spoke in a low tone with a seriousness that was not his usual, "More than anyone, I know how incredibly strong you are. But you're still a woman and you should really take care of yourself more…"

Esther has gained wide popularity with her talent as a Familiar Breeder. Some people ask her to train their familiars for battle. Some simply come to her for advice on how to properly pamper their familiars. With the Soliseum Series going in all rage, work has been pouring in as more and more people cross the oceans to participate in the tourney and consult with her expertise.

She was training familiars today, too. She must've forgotten to put bandages after she got home.

"Well, work is work," She said as confidently as she can and looked up to meet his eyes, "And the one that should be taking care of himself more is you, _Prince. _People look up to you, you know."

Caught unprepared by the intensity of her gaze, he instantly let her go. Swaine gave an amused chuckle and started to walked towards the terrace, the bottle of liquor tucked in his arms.

"Please, don't get started on that. Looking good is Marcassin's job," He said without stopping or looking back, "I'm just a consultant and a mechanic. I don't really see a lot of people nor do they ever have the need to see me. It's okay being this way."

She continued to stare at him wordlessly as he disappeared into the hall. Esther could still feel the sensation of his rough fingers trailing on her skin. His hands were large and unbelievably warm but it was not uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable at all…

Her face flushed red and her heart begun to beat wildly as the realization what just took place begun to dawn on her. She silently slumped down to the floor. What? WHAT? Her head throbbed, confused with all of her thoughts running amok.

Esther hugged her legs and buried her face in her knees. Burning red up to her ears, she started to breathe deeply to calm herself down.

If Oliver was here, he could help her. He would simply smile and he would give her the courage to face her own emotions. However, Oliver's not here. She is all alone with her own cowardly heart.

'_I want… I want to be someone special to you…'_

tbc/

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**(!) **Standard disclaimers apply. Like 'No matter how awesome Ni no Kuni is, the author does not own or is, in any way, associated with the awesome, awesome game *sad face, sad face*'

**(2) **Yay, a fic about my second favourite Ni no Kuni couple...or was it my third favourite? My ranking goes kind of like this [_First Place_: Alica x Lucien, Oliver x Pea, Esther x Swaine...] See? all of them are no. 1 in my heart :3

**(iii) **So I was at the grocer's when I came up with the idea for this fic. I was at the fruits section and I was like, 'I want a kilo of _babanas_ please'. The salesperson just stared at me funny like I was crazy or something. So I smiled at him sweetly and repeated my request, 'I want a kilo of _babanas_ **please**'. He gave half a kilo for free! Yeah...I don't get how I got inspired by this incident either or why he gave me free bananas. Oh well, I'm not going to compalin about free bananas! XD Anyway moving along...

**(4) **If I spelled something wrong or if I overlooked a hanging sentence or something, just leave me a message. Actually, if there's anything you want to say, just leave a message. Pretty much anything is appreciated :)

**(5) **So...I was kind of aiming for a one-shot but it somehow got out of control? My word limit for a one-shot is 1, 500. Anything after that is a multi-chapter fic. Anyway, second chapter will be up _really, really_ soon. Like tonight, or possibly the next hour. I'm pretty much done with it.


	2. Alcohol makes the heart grow honest-er

**ii. Alcohol makes the heart grow...honest-er**

"It's no use keeping it from me, Swaine! I have eyes and ears everywhere!" Rashaad laughed and drank the rest of his glass in one gulp, "You're dating around, aren't you?"

It was more of a statement than a question, really.

Swaine's eyebrows knitted together and sighed, "So _that_ has reached as far as Al Mamoon, huh."

Following his usual weekly schedule, Swaine was staying at Al Mamoon again. Specifically, at the house of one of the great sages. He found it funny how his life was surrounded by the great sages. One is his best friend, one is his brother, and one is the father of the woman who he…he considers important.

"What's this? You're not even going to try to deny it?"

Swaine shrugs and poured himself another drink, "It's useless. Denying it won't make it go away anyway."

"Well, that's true but I don't think that it's all bad," Rashaad gave another hearty laugh, "You're of marriageable age anyway…"

Alcohol has a way of making people act differently than how they usually behave. Being able to handle his alcohol well, Swaine was an exception to the rule. Rashaad, however, was not. Judging from the redness spreading throughout his face and his generally unfocused eyes, he could tell that Rashaad has drunk his share of alcohol for the night. Also, Rashaad goes on and on when he's drunk. But Swaine doesn't hate it.

Rashaad, whether he's drunk or sober, reminds him of his late father. The two of them have been long friends back when his father was still alive. He tells Swaine stories about his father, sometimes, their training under the guidance of Solomon, the battles they fought, the places they went to. It was the side of his father that Swaine never knew.

"Esther, too. Lately, young men has been coming up to my stall and asking for her hand. They're all stupid," Rashaad mumbled as he crosses his arms on the table and laid his head, "Everything is up to Esther's decision. It's no use asking me. Whoever Esther chooses, I would accept. You should start thinking about your future too, my friend."

The future, huh. After running away from the Porcine Palace, Swaine has always lived in the 'here and now'. What am I going to go today? Where would I get today's meal? Where am I going to stay for tonight?

Leaving home with basically nothing but the clothes on his back, he had done bad things to survive. He stole, he cheated, he conned. He dealt with the very lowest of the lows. Only thoughts of 'survival' and 'the welfare of my brother' filled his mind.

He was never ashamed of his past. After all, it was his past that made him into the man that he is now. And the man that he is now is not a man who concerns himself with abstract concepts such as the 'future'. Nor does he deserve to.

His train of thought was distracted by the loud snoring beside him. He smiled and tipped his glass slightly towards Rashaad before finishing it in one go.

He stood up and went over to the side where Rashaad was sleeping deeply. He took one of his arms, flung it around his shoulders, and lifted him up from his seat. It was a pretty arduous task, considering that Rashaad was bigger man than him, but he got used to it after doing it for so long.

Half-carrying and half-dragging the sleeping drunk, he made it to the living room where he somehow managed to settle Rashaad down on the sofa.

"Got himself fully drunk again, huh?"

From behind him, Esther appeared holding a glass of water in one hand and a blanket on another. She has a small smile on her face as she approached him.

"I guess the babana stall will be opening later than usual tomorrow."

She set the glass of water on the table beside the sofa and covered her father with the blanket. As she went about the task at hand, Swaine turned around and returned to the terrace to finish the bottle.

He sat down at his usual seat and examined the bottle. It was already more than half-drained, he and Rashaad was drinking for quite a while after all. He heard footsteps coming towards him.

"Not going to sleep yet?" he asked without turning his head.

She settled herself on the empty seat beside him, looking towards the seemingly endless sand dunes, "I'm not sleepy anymore so I thought that I'd keep you company instead."

Swaine looked at her and found himself smiling slightly. Her golden hair that she usually keeps up in a ponytail was loose around her pale face. The golden strands seemed to shine as it catches the pale moonlight.

She was hugging her knees towards herself. The desert city of Al Mamoon can get notoriously hot during daytime but at night, the temperature does a complete 180 and it can get very cold. He took off his coat and handed it to her.

Surprised, she smiled gratefully and draped it around her shoulders. It was still warm from his body heat, "So I heard you're seeing...someone..."

He sighed and drank directly from the bottle, "You too, huh? Rashaad was just grilling me about it a while ago."

"I was just of wondering if the rumours were true. Better hear it straight from you than anyone else, right?"

He wasn't bothered about all the rumours spreading around. That's just the way people were built, gossiping is a form of entertainment for them. Given a month or two, the entire buzz around him would eventually fizzle out and everyone would talk about somebody else. It's not like he has much of a reputation to think about anyway.

She takes her eyes off the horizon, "Well?"

"It's true…probably…"

Her eyebrows knitted together at his half-assed answer. She looked at him quizzically, "Probably? What do you mean by 'probably'?"

"Well, _I _am not looking for anyone special but _everyone _else seem to want me to date," Swaine clicked his tongue in annoyance, "They just keep on _throwing _girls at me."

It was extremely irritating. It has come to the point where people shamelessly pester him even if he's in the middle of work. Palace Councillors come with their daughters in tow, introducing them and making a show on how _incredibly_ talented and educated their daughters are. It was shallow and humiliating, for both the girl and for him. These people just want to move up in ranks, trying to curry favour with the royal family. No matter how different they may be, he is still the emperor's brother and that makes him the next in line should anything _happen_ to Marcassin.

However, even Marcassin seemed to be joining in lately. Teaming up with Captain Kublai and Queen Khulan, he often drags Swaine to meet _eligible_ girls from Perdida.

"_Gascon, I think…I think that it would do you a world of good to have someone special in your life. You can't bury yourself with work forever."_

And with that, he was forced to go on dates after dates with different girls. If he tries to run away, Kublai would call for one of his sky dragons to bring him back. He could not hate Marcassin for he knew that his little brother was only doing what he thinks was right for him. But that sky pirate's got to be enjoying his misery. Sometimes, he can see a dragon (poorly) hiding behind a tree even before his date starts.

"Well! _I'm _sorry that these people were just 'throwing' all these girls at you!" Esther spat as she stood up indignantly. She walked a few paces forward and kept her back turned towards him, "I'm_ sure_ you're just a 'victim' of fate! A helpless passer-by!"

Swaine recognized the tone in her voice. It was that tone that she has whenever she's incredibly mad and disappointed about something. The something was usually him.

Trying to assess how to handle the situation as coolly as possible, he took another gulp from the bottle, "I can see that you're really mad-"

"Mad?" She scoffed cutting his words short, "Why in the world would I be mad? You could go and date all the girls in the world for all I care! They'll dump you anyway, once they find about how rotten you really are. You _good-for-nothing_ prince!"

So, she's really, really mad. For a reason that he still doesn't know. He took a deep breath and scratched the back of his hair. This is not good, he thought to himself, he's starting to getting really, really mad as well.

He finished the rest of the liquor in one drag and quietly stood up, "Maybe I should go…"

"Yeah, you should! That's what you're good at, running away!"

With that, he reached the end of his patience. He took some quick, angry steps to where Esther stood and snapped at her, "Look, I don't know why you're mad at me. But if there is anyone you should be mad at, it's _them_. They're the one forcing me to do all these crazy stuff!"

"Forcing you? No one's forcing you! No one can force you to do anything!"

He's quickly forgetting why they're even fighting. He was just so mad. All his stress at the Palace, all the frustrations he has over all the fake dates that he had to go through. Everything was piling up in his chest, he felt like he would explode if he doesn't let it all out.

"Do you really think I _like_ it? Then maybe I'll just follow your 'advice'! Maybe I'll just date all the girls that I could lay my eyes on, since I _like_ it so much!"

He spat his words with much mockery in his tone. He irritably jerked her shoulders and forced her to face him. Her face was twisted in a pained expression. Large drops of tears were pouring down her face.

"Maybe you should…! And, since it's apparently not anything important, maybe I'll just simply date around as well!"

Suddenly, the whole world, the very time itself, seemed to freeze. His anger completely disappeared as panic instantly its place. His worries about work, all the nuisances in his life…everything took a back seat.

He reached out his hands to touch her face, clumsily wiping away the tears that stained her cheeks. He pulled her close, shrinking the distance between their bodies. Slowly, he gently kissed her forehead then the bridge of her nose. Then finally, receiving no protests from her, he inched his lips closer to hers and kissed her full on the mouth.

Alcohol has a way of making people act differently than how they usually behave. Swaine used to think that he was an exception to that rule, but now he was not quite sure.

_'I'm sorry. I'm sorry, please don't cry. You're the only person in the world that I don't want to see hurt.'_

tbc/

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

**(!) **Standard Disclaimers apply. Yeah, like I said in the first chapter. You could read it again, if you like.

**(2) **2nd Chapter! Woo-hoo! It was pretty quick, if I may say so myself. I was like 'typetypetypetypetype'. Anyway, I think this chapter was pretty good.

**(#) **Woah, I had to change the rating from 'K+' to 'T' because my friend said that _alcohol intake_ and _kissing_ is a "mature" concept. Hmm, I don't really agree but, just to be on the safe side, I changed it anyway.

**(iv) **I don't think that alcohol is bad. I like alcohol. What's bad is alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse is very, _very_ bad. Everything, when abused, turns bad. So keep that in mind.

**(5) **About the chapter title, well, quite obviously it's the super cliche-d quote 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'. I know that 'honest-er' is not really a real word. I intentionally used it just because I liked it better that way. Sorry, grammar (and grammar nazis). Please don't curse me to the ends of the world :3

**(5) **So everything is finally in place! 'The End' would probably happen in the last chapter. But I'm not quite sure. I don't like to drag my stories on and on, like Rashaad when he's drunk (according to me, please don't take it as an _official_ description on Rashaad). I don't think I can come up with the third as soon as I did the second one, though. So, in the mean time, please leave me some of your thoughts and stuff about the story. Any kind of input is appreciated :)


End file.
